DOWN MEMORY LANE THE TAMILNAD CHRISTIAN COUNCIL ECONOMIC LIFE COMMMITTEE

Backdrop

India is an agricultural country in which 80% of the total population is living in rural areas depending on agricultural income. Illiteracy among the rural masses is one of the main factors that hamper development. High population growth is another factor that affects economic development. The Government and individuals were making concerted efforts to bring about radical change in the rural economy by bringing in “Green Revolution”. High yielding varieties of seeds are being made popular among the farmers to improve their income.

In the 1960s in Tamilnadu hardly 40% of lands were under cultivation under irrigation schemes with the aid of motor pumpsets from individual wells. The rest of the cultivable lands had to depend on monsoon rains. The government was focusing all its attention to bring about Green Revolution by improving irrigation schemes such as lift irrigation, dam irrigation, tank irrigation and irrigation through wells and pumpsets.

As 60% of the lands depend on monsoon rains, cultivation was confined to one crop extending from three to four months a year. Most of the farmers were holding 3 to 5 acres of lands. Almost all the farmers had poor standards of living with the annual income approximately ranging between Rs.3000/- to Rs.5000/-. If modern scientific technology is introduced and the farmers could utilize it, then more income could be raised. Therefore the Government as well as the Non Governmental Organizations was concentrating on Green Revolution.

Farmers who were holding 3 to 5 acres of lands were finding it very difficult to dig wells and to install pump sets. They were getting loans from the local money lenders at a very high rate of interest and losing their lands as well if the loans could not be repaid. At this stage the Economic Life Committee of the Tamilnad Christian Council came forward and started the Wells Pumpsets Department with the objective of assisting farmers to utilize their lands fully by using wells and pumpsets, to earn better income, and repay their loans quickly.